INDIANAPOLIS – Florida star quarterback Anthony Richardson, one of the biggest and most athletic draft prospects, has met formally with the Texans at the NFL scouting combine, according to a league source.
The Texans, who hold the second and 12th overall picks of the first round and are in need of a franchise quarterback are expected to meet with other top quarterback, including Alabama star Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis.
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Richardson is popular at the combine with multiple meetings, including the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants, according to league sources.
“Making calls just around the league, the best way to do the quarterback conversation is talk to the teams that don’t need one, and then you’ll get kind of an accurate feel just how they evaluate him and what they think,” NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “Anthony Richardson is the second quarterback for several teams that I talked to.”
Richardson, 21, is an intriguing player with a rare combination of size, arm strength and playmaking skills. He passed for 3,105 yards, 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions for the Gators, completing 56.5 percent of his throws. He rushed for 1,116 yards and a dozen touchdowns.
He declared for the draft following his redshirt sophomore year.
Richardson is continuing to work on polishing his overall game and accuracy.
Many NFL general managers have emphasized privately that Richardson has the highest ceiling of perhaps any quarterback in this draft and the lowest floor level.
Growing up in Gainesville, Fla., Richardson stayed home to play for the Gators after passing for 4,633 yards in high school with 37 touchdown passes, 1,633 yards and 41 touchdowns.
“We can look at the numbers, it doesn’t look great on paper,” Jeremiah said. “ou look at the accuracy and this, that, and the other; and he has elite, elite arm strength. He is a rare athlete. You don’t see quarterbacks running away from LSU with 80-yard touchdown runs. He has big-time, big-time ceiling, big-time ability.
“If you want to fall in love with Anthony Richardson, you pop on Utah and you think he is the first pick in the draft. Even Missouri he made some big-time plays in that game. I know it’s a little bit of a roller coaster. I know he hasn’t played a ton, but teams are starting to look at some of these quarterbacks as lottery tickets, and this one has the biggest pay-out. That’s why I think you’re going to see Richardson go pretty high.”
Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com